Reviews
"It's hard not to love Dodge's concept. Everyone is looking to simplify and having four fresh ingredients makes all the beautiful desserts in her book seem approachable. Of course, no chef as talented as Dodge (she previously wrote "The Weekend Baker") can stop with just four of anything. So each recipe includes "Switch-Ins," which suggest different flavor pairings. These also include swap-out ingredients in case you don't have, or don't care for, something in the recipe. She also suggests ways to "Gussy It Up." This is a great book for someone who wants to learn to bake. "-- The Providence Journal "First, let's just make this clear: Desserts 4 Today is not the latest Hip Hop group. It's an ingenious new cookbook by former pastry chef and culinary veteran Abigail Johnson Dodge . The book is divided into 5 easy chapters: Cookies, Creamy Desserts, Frozen Desserts, Fruit Desserts, and Pastries (a number of which conveniently rely on quality store-bought products like frozen puff pastry and phyllo dough.) The hook is that each gem of a recipe contains no more than 4 ingredients. Seriously. Okay, each recipe is followed by numerous variations with headings like, Switch-Ins, Gussy It Up; and Change It Up, but there is really no reason to go there unless you feel like taking that extra step. As written, each of the basic recipes is a perfect study in simplicity and creativity. And you can rest assured your grocery cart will not be overloaded with expensive, esoteric ingredients you may never use again." -- Project Foodie "One might expect a cookbook of four-ingredients-max dessert recipes to rely heavily on convenience ingredients or lots of dressed-up shortbread. But in her latest cookbook "Desserts 4 Today" (Taunton Press, $17.95), pastry chef and baking expert Abigail Johnson Dodge delivers a surprising number of cookies and other sweets made simply and with fresh ingredients." --Newark (NJ) Star-Ledger "If you bake frequently, a good number of the recipes won't even require a trip to the store; you probably already have the ingredients on hand. Keep the book close at hand, then, for impromptu visits from friends, or whenever your sweet tooth gets the better of you. Puff pastry is a godsend in the pastry chapter (it's a godsend, period, isn't it?); elsewhere, Dodge calls for pre-made cookies, ice cream or sorbet. But mostly, she leaves it up to chemistry. Coaxing something delicious out of varying combinations of butter, sugar, cream, eggs, flour, chocolate, coconut milk, vanilla and fruit isn't magic, but it's funny how doing so can make you look like a genius." --The Chicago Sun-Times, "It's hard not to love Dodge's concept. Everyone is looking to simplify and having four fresh ingredients makes all the beautiful desserts in her book seem approachable. Of course, no chef as talented as Dodge (she previously wrote "The Weekend Baker") can stop with just four of anything. So each recipe includes "Switch-Ins," which suggest different flavor pairings. These also include swap-out ingredients in case you don't have, or don't care for, something in the recipe. She also suggests ways to "Gussy It Up." This is a great book for someone who wants to learn to bake. "--"The Providence Journal" "First, let's just make this clear: Desserts 4 Today is not the latest Hip Hop group. It's an ingenious new cookbook by former pastry chef and culinary veteran Abigail Johnson Dodge. The book is divided into 5 easy chapters: Cookies, Creamy Desserts, Frozen Desserts, Fruit Desserts, and Pastries (a number, "Ite(tm)s hard not to love Dodgee(tm)s concept. Everyone is looking to simplify and having four fresh ingredients makes all the beautiful desserts in her book seem approachable. Of course, no chef as talented as Dodge (she previously wrote eoeThe Weekend Bakere) can stop with just four of anything. So each recipe includes eoeSwitch-Ins,e which suggest different flavor pairings. These also include swap-out ingredients in case you done(tm)t have, or done(tm)t care for, something in the recipe. She also suggests ways to eoeGussy It Up.e This is a great book for someone who wants to learn to bake. "--"The Providence Journal" "First, let's just make this clear: Desserts 4 Today is not the latest Hip Hop group. It's an ingenious new cookbook by former pastry chef and culinary veteran Abigail Johnson Dodge. The book is divided into 5 easy chapters: Cookies, Creamy Desserts, Frozen Desserts, Fruit Desserts, and Pastries (a number, "It's hard not to love Dodge's concept. Everyone is looking to simplify and having four fresh ingredients makes all the beautiful desserts in her book seem approachable. Of course, no chef as talented as Dodge (she previously wrote "The Weekend Baker") can stop with just four of anything. So each recipe includes "Switch-Ins," which suggest different flavor pairings. These also include swap-out ingredients in case you don't have, or don't care for, something in the recipe. She also suggests ways to "Gussy It Up." This is a great book for someone who wants to learn to bake. "--The Providence Journal"First, let's just make this clear:Desserts 4 Todayis not the latest Hip Hop group. It's an ingenious new cookbook by former pastry chef and culinary veteranAbigail Johnson Dodge. The book is divided into 5 easy chapters: Cookies, Creamy Desserts, Frozen Desserts, Fruit Desserts, and Pastries (a number of which conveniently rely on quality store-bought products like frozen puff pastry and phyllo dough.) The hook is that each gem of a recipe contains no more than 4 ingredients. Seriously. Okay, each recipe is followed by numerous variations with headings like, Switch-Ins, Gussy It Up; and Change It Up, but there is really no reason to go there unless you feel like taking that extra step. As written, each of the basic recipes is a perfect study in simplicity and creativity. And you can rest assured your grocery cart will not be overloaded with expensive, esoteric ingredients you may never use again." --Project Foodie, "It's hard not to love Dodge's concept. Everyone is looking to simplify and having four fresh ingredients makes all the beautiful desserts in her book seem approachable. Of course, no chef as talented as Dodge (she previously wrote "The Weekend Baker") can stop with just four of anything. So each recipe includes "Switch-Ins," which suggest different flavor pairings. These also include swap-out ingredients in case you don't have, or don't care for, something in the recipe. She also suggests ways to "Gussy It Up." This is a great book for someone who wants to learn to bake. "--"The Providence Journal", "It's hard not to love Dodge's concept. Everyone is looking to simplify and having four fresh ingredients makes all the beautiful desserts in her book seem approachable. Of course, no chef as talented as Dodge (she previously wrote "The Weekend Baker") can stop with just four of anything. So each recipe includes "Switch-Ins," which suggest different flavor pairings. These also include swap-out ingredients in case you don't have, or don't care for, something in the recipe. She also suggests ways to "Gussy It Up." This is a great book for someone who wants to learn to bake. "--The Providence Journal, "It's hard not to love Dodge's concept. Everyone is looking to simplify and having four fresh ingredients makes all the beautiful desserts in her book seem approachable. Of course, no chef as talented as Dodge (she previously wrote The Weekend Baker) can stop with just four of anything. So each recipe includes Switch-Ins, which suggest different flavor pairings. These also include swap-out ingredients in case you don't have, or don't care for, something in the recipe. She also suggests ways to Gussy It Up. This is a great book for someone who wants to learn to bake. "--"The Providence Journal", "It's hard not to love Dodge's concept. Everyone is looking to simplify and having four fresh ingredients makes all the beautiful desserts in her book seem approachable. Of course, no chef as talented as Dodge (she previously wrote "The Weekend Baker") can stop with just four of anything. So each recipe includes "Switch-Ins," which suggest different flavor pairings. These also include swap-out ingredients in case you don't have, or don't care for, something in the recipe. She also suggests ways to "Gussy It Up." This is a great book for someone who wants to learn to bake. "--"The Providence Journal" "First, let's just make this clear: Desserts 4 Today is not the latest Hip Hop group. It's an ingenious new cookbook by former pastry chef and culinary veteran Abigail Johnson Dodge. The book is divided into 5 easy chapters: Cookies, Creamy Desserts, Frozen Desserts, Fruit Desserts, and Pastries (a number of which conveniently rely on quality store-bought products like frozen puff pastry and phyllo dough.) The hook is that each gem of a recipe contains no more than 4 ingredients. Seriously. Okay, each recipe is followed by numerous variations with headings like, Switch-Ins, Gussy It Up; and Change It Up, but there is really no reason to go there unless you feel like taking that extra step. As written, each of the basic recipes is a perfect study in simplicity and creativity. And you can rest assured your grocery cart will not be overloaded with expensive, esoteric ingredients you may never use again." --Project Foodie "One might expect a cookbook of four-ingredients-max dessert recipes to rely heavily on convenience ingredients or lots of dressed-up shortbread. But in her latest cookbook "Desserts 4 Today" (Taunton Press, $17.95), pastry chef and baking expert Abigail Johnson Dodge delivers a surprising number of cookies and other sweets made simply and with fresh ingredients."" --Newark (NJ) Star-Ledger" "If you bake frequently, a good number of the recipes wo
